When I first moved to Denton in 1986, 16 years ago this month, to start my graduate work at UNT, the first friends I met up there were not Texans, but British exchange students from the University of Swansea. Tony Wescott was my neighbor across the hallway, studying history and political science. His best friend Dave Collins, also from Swansea, lived in another dorm and was studying poly sci as well. I befriended them right off the bat; mainly because I was one of the only people on the floor who could understand them (and I acted as translator for everyone else, LOL!) Tony had a very pronounced cockney accent, having grown up in inner city London, and Dave, from Liverpool, sounded like a cross between John Lennon and Ringo Starr. Fortunately, I had watched a lot of BBC shows on our public TV network, so their accents were fairly familiar to me.

We went everywhere together, those two mates and I. I took them to their first American football game, where they passed around a flask of gin (in a place where alcohol wasn't allowed, thank the gods we weren't caught!) and then proceeded to get up on a bench and sing "God Save the Queen" at the top of their lungs in the middle of the game. Ack!! I was laughing my head off and cringing at the same time, ever on the lookout for a campus cop. They taught me how to pitch darts and drink Guiness Stout. I tried to keep up with them while drinking, to my ultimate regret one night, and after that I decided that there was just no hope for it and let them drink straight out of the pitchers if they wanted to; I kept to the bottles and mugs.

It was hilarious to hear them argue politics. Tony was a royalist, having grown up literally in the shadow of Buckingham Palace (apparently his boyhood home was only a few blocks away from it) and Dave, from the industrial North, was an ardent Labour follower and anti-monarchy. They would get into it and after I realized that they really weren't going to come to blows, it was wild fun to listen to their rants.

During that time, I had one of those "pork pie" hats, made of black leather, and Dave was enamored of it; he'd snatch it off my head every time we were out and wear it for the evening. When the year was finally over and they had to return to Swansea, I insisted that Dave take the hat to remember me by. He was blubbering...it was a hard parting.

Those were great mates...some of the best friends I ever had, even if it was just for a year. They instilled in me a love for the British people and their spirit. I wish I could find them to get in touch with them again, but I wouldn't even know where to start. All I know are their names and that they were exchange students from Swansea University in Wales during the 1986-87 school year that came to UNT (then North Texas State University).

My wife got a taste of that same spirit and love for other people when she was in London in 1997, and made the only true friends she had made on her entire European trip there. England and Scotland are two of the only three places she ever wishes to return to in Europe (the third being Denmark).

The British people truly are divine. Our British friends here at Ironworks prove that without a doubt as well. I think of my British friends here, far too numerous to name (and I wouldn't try lest I overlook one), and realize their sterling characters, even for all their antics. They have some of the best music and finest literature of the world. British authors, by God, know how to tell a REAL STORY, not like these racio-political or sensationalist crap stories that American authors are so fond of churning out. With exceptions, of course.

I just wanted to inject a bit of positivism for our British friends. I for one salute you, and I love you guys! And if any of you, through some bizarre twist of fate, ever come across a Tony Wescott or Dave Collins who were exchange students in Texas during 86-87...let them know I haven't forgotten them, and never will.

Peace, and blessings,
-Sazerac

Just watch out for our hoolidans. We excel at those too :D :D

Cheers, Saz :D

I forgot to mention that I've picked up all sorts of neat sayings from my Brit friends here, too, especially the ones my wife doesn't understand! :D :D

Thanks, LS! {{{HUG}}}

-Saz

Great post, Sazzie! HUZZAH!!!

Hoolidans ???? :D Is that a new group of thugs ?

Hoolidans ???? :D Is that a new group of thugs ?</font>[/QUOTE]Heck no, johnny! That's thuds! :D

Now if only they could learn to speak English. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

ROFL Thanks for correcting me Cloudy :D Yeah, those thuds really are a scary bunch ! [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

Hear, hear!
I am an anglophile myself, and I couldn't agree more about the music and literature. My especial weakness is British television, I've got an extensive collection of old comedies from the BBC and I'm always on the lookout for more. Apparently my sense of humour is a throwback to my Welsh roots, as I just find the Brits comedy so much funnier than what you get on this side of the pond.

Hear. hear! as a devoted Anglophile, I can never hear too much good about the Brits. I have a larger-than-life bust of Wellington in my living room. How can I say more?

That's funny becaus eI consider our television to be our weakness too LOL!!! I never watch it as it's full of crappy soaps, crappy quizzes and repeats of shows from the 60s/70s LOL!!

Nice post Saz, it's nice to hear someone praising us ,..even if we know we're perfect. :D

I dont know if this link will help but it's a start and it has got a name search.

http://www.friendsreunited.co.uk/

I know that site - I'm on there myself :D

caught up with peeps I haven't seen in nearly 25 years :D

Brits are cool [img]smile.gif[/img] I like most brits that I've encountered online and I love brit humour and brit TV :D

Aww, I'm blushing!

That’s all very well,
But don’t let your good experiences blind you to the true reality of Britain, Try living and working here over many years, or permanantly
You’ll soon wish you hadn’t...
(Although in many respects it's no better than America in many matters)
On second thoughts save your praise for Holland, I've been there a while,
and never have I been in a nicer place (except Canada),
Haarlem was a blessed relief after London, and I’ll tell you that for nothing.

[ 08-06-2002, 04:03 PM: Message edited by: Dramnek_Ulk ]

You lived in Holland ???? Where do you live now ? Are you some kind of globetrotter ? :D

I didn’t live in Holland for long, just a period of many months.
I live in the United Kingdom now,
But I’m hoping to leave it behind, for Canada one day,
Hurrah for the skilled labour immigration programme eh?
(Although If I had $400,000 or so, I could effectively bribe them for permanent resident status)

Great post Saz! I also think the British are great! Everyone should own one! [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Yeah, You Americans even own our Goverment.

*Rimshot*

You lived in Holland ???? Where do you live now ? Are you some kind of globetrotter ? :D </font>[/QUOTE]Must be a haarlem globetrotter. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Must be a haarlem globetrotter. [img]smile.gif[/img]
*Absynthe emits a blood-curdling scream and drops dead at Lanesra's feet...*

Now look what you've done!

[ 08-06-2002, 05:17 PM: Message edited by: Absynthe ]

Actually with Bill Clintons office, plus new Starbucks and HMV, Haarlem is the new place to buy in Manhattan Island, as it's "coming up". (Or going down depending on your perspective)

And I'll tell you that for nothing.

You beat me to the punch. ;)

[ 08-07-2002, 01:20 AM: Message edited by: Yorick ]

There are good Britons and there are bad Britons. Same with Americans, Chinese, Japanese etc...

I knew a few Brits several years back in Australia. They seem quite okay with me -- nothing outstanding. I suppose they can be a nice and interesting lot, but... Nah, I'm not going to say it...

[ 08-07-2002, 01:55 AM: Message edited by: K T Ong ]

Ah yes, ever the its greener on the other side syndrome -p

for me, i like where i am right now very much and would not like to live anyplace else in the world

i would like to vacation other places though of course.

And yes i know people from many countries, including india, canada, brittain, hungary, romania, china, phillipeans etc etc so its not that i havent had the chance to become enamored of anyones country its just that i like the melting pot culture im in now.

now if only we could elect someone who wasnt a total ***hole /sigh

me too. Thanks Saz. *cough*

What a great post Saz, sounds as if they were great guys!

I also think you should try the Friends Reunited website, I have contacted old schoolfriends using that. I also recently traced an ex colleague who I hadn't seen in 5 years simply by sticking his name into Google (so I could tell him someone we used to work with and were friends with had died, unfortunately). Found him listed on a bodybuilding site of all things, and he was shocked as anything when I e-mailed him out of the blue, suggested I should go work for MI5 ;)

Well, I guess whatever you may like or may not like about the Brits, you'll just have to grant that David Beckham is good-looking. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Depends what you're into to be honest. If Beckam floats your boat, good luck to you, but I should tell you he's married.

Beckham Schmeckman...

There are a rather big quantity of people of the opposite sex I rather would try to flirt...

Liz Hurley, to name one :D

He has a wonderful body and great legs - that's for sure.

He has a wonderful body and great legs - that's for sure.</font>[/QUOTE]You're such a warm and loving person Donut. :D And i bet you have great legs too. [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

You're such a warm and loving person Donut. :D And i bet you have great legs too. [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]There are some members here who can attest to that!

Thanks Saz. I'm pleased to be counted as one of your online BriTish friends.

I'm not sure what you mean by '...even for all their antics' though.

Are you thinking of anyone in particular? ;)

Anyway, not all British are wonderful guys...see you, all, I'm going pikey hunting. *hefts baseball bat, shotgun, and blowtorch* trust me, it takes all of that to put those scum down...And no, not pikey as in "Scavenger" or gypsies, the new social class emerging over here is what I'm going to be hunting.

Actually, I was remembering Tony and Dave and their constant cutups back in college.

If the shoe fits, though...you know where to put it! ;) :D

Cheers,
-Saz

Ah, if only I'd known about that friends reunited site before....
When I was growing up, my best friend was a girl named Karen Cornell. Her family was from England (I regret never asking EXACTLY where...) She was like a sister to me. I wanted to track her down and invite her to my wedding last year, but didn't even know where to start looking...

He has a wonderful body and great legs - that's for sure.</font>[/QUOTE]He may have a good body & legs,
But I suspect He Is not so very bright,
And he has no long hair :o(
I reckon you could beat him over the head with a complete works of Shakespeare a multitude of times before he could recite the word “antidisestablishmentarian” and satisfactorily explain its meaning.
And I just bet he shaves his chest as well, :o/

Enver Hoxha would not approve(TM)